Systems and methods for automobile accident claims initiation

ABSTRACT

Automobile accident claims initiation systems and methods are describe. An insured driver may initiate a claim by operating a mobile device. The system provides automated inquiries to the driver through the mobile device. The driver provides responses to the inquiries using the mobile device. The driver may provide images and audio data, as well as personal information and information on the parties and vehicles involved in the accident. The system may automatically arrange for services such as a rental car or a tow truck. The system may provide claim information, such as a claim number to the driver by transmitting information to the mobile device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priorityto each of the following patents and applications: U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/601,390 filed on Aug. 31, 2012, now U.S. Pat.No. 8,712,806, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 13/212,741 filed on Aug. 18, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,260,639,which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/098,667filed on Apr. 7, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,019,629, which is related bysubject matter to the subject matter disclosed in the following commonlyassigned applications, the entirety of which are hereby incorporated byreference herein: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/098,562, and U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/098,589, each filed on Apr. 7, 2008 andeach entitled “Systems and Methods for Automobile Accident ClaimsInitiations.” This application is also related by subject matter to thesubject matter disclose din the following commonly assignedapplications; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/099,414, U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/099,447, U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/099,477, each filed on Apr. 7, 2008 and each entitled “Systems andMethods for Automobile Accident Claims Initiations.”

BACKGROUND

An automobile accident can be a very stressful situation. Even if no oneis hurt, being in an accident can be very disconcerting for the peopleinvolved. However, if someone involved in an accident needs to file aninsurance claim, it is best to quickly collect as much information aspossible in order to properly submit the claim. If a claimant does notgather at least some information at the scene of the accident,information may later be unavailable or forgotten. Thus, a claimantoften attempts to quickly and accurately collect information for aninsurance claim at the scene of an accident while they are still underthe stress of the accident. A claimant may also desire that suchinformation be provided to an insurer as quickly as possible so that theclaim process can be expedited. This may especially be the case when aclaimant's vehicle may not be drivable due to the accident. Such aclaimant may need a rental car or tow truck as soon as possible, and maywish to begin the claim process so that the claimant's vehicle isreturned to service as soon as possible.

SUMMARY

Systems and method are provided for automobile accident claimsinitiation. In one non-limiting example, an insured driver may requestthe initiation of a claim by using a mobile device. The mobile devicemay be preconfigured with information about the insured which may betransmitted with the claim initiation request. The mobile device mayalso generate or obtain information itself, such as location ortimestamp information, which may also be transmitted with the claiminitiation request. The claim initiation request may be used by thesystem to generate further inquiries, which are sent to the insuredthrough the mobile device. The insured may provide responses to theinquiries which may include images, audio data, as well as informationabout the accident, such as identification information about the partiesand vehicles involved and witness information. Such data may be gatheredon the mobile device using mobile device components.

Data provided by the insured may be analyzed for verification or toderive further information. In another non-limiting example, in responseto information received from the insured, an automobile accident claimsinitiation system may arrange for services for the insured. Suchservices may be provided automatically. A claim number and other claimrelated information may be provided to the insured.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing summary and the following detailed description ofpreferred embodiments are better understood when read in conjunctionwith the appended drawings. For the purposes of illustration, there isshown in the drawings exemplary embodiments; however, the subject matteris not limited to the specific methods and instrumentalities disclosed.In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a graphical representation of an exemplary, non-limitingautomobile accident claims initiation system and an accident scene.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of an exemplary, non-limiting method ofoperating an automobile accident claims initiation system.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary and non-limiting embodiment of an automobileaccident claims initiation system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

The subject matter of the described embodiments is described withspecificity to meet statutory requirements. However, the descriptionitself is not intended to limit the scope of this patent. Rather, it iscontemplated that the claimed subject matter might also be embodied inother ways, to include different steps or elements similar to the onesdescribed in this document, in conjunction with other present or futuretechnologies.

When involved in an accident, an insured driver may want to submit aclaim as soon as possible. The insured may wish to get his or hervehicle repaired as quickly as possible, and may need to arrange for arental car and/or a tow truck. Unfortunately, the stress of beinginvolved in an accident may make it more difficult for the insured togather accurate and complete information. Even if the insured is notinjured, the psychological trauma of the accident may prevent theinsured from thinking clearly or taking the appropriate steps to gatherimportant information at the accident scene. In one embodiment, a systemis provided that facilitates the collection of insurance claim data.

FIG. 1 illustrates a non-limiting diagram of an exemplary automobileaccident claims initiation system. Insured 110 may be involved in anaccident at accident scene 100. Insured 110 may be any person whooperates, owns, leases, or otherwise controls a vehicle and hasinsurance on the vehicle, or any other person who may submit aninsurance claim. Accident scene 100 may be any location, road,intersection, or any other geographical area where an accident involvingone or more vehicles may take place. Insured 110 may be the operator ofvehicle 130. Vehicle 130 may be any vehicle that is capable oftransporting passengers, including, but not limited to, a car, a truck,a van, a minivan, a sport-utility vehicle, a motorcycle, a scooter, arecreational vehicle, a boat, or a tractor.

Driver 145 may be the other party involved in the accident, and may bethe operator of vehicle 140. Driver 145 may be any person capable ofoperating any vehicle. Vehicle 140 may be any vehicle that is capable oftransporting passengers, including, but not limited to, a car, a truck,a van, a minivan, a sport-utility vehicle, a motorcycle, a scooter, arecreational vehicle, a boat, or a tractor.

Insured 110 is operating mobile device 120. Mobile device 120 may be anydevice that is capable of operating on a wireless mobile communicationsnetwork and that communicates with other devices using, at least inpart, a wireless network. Examples of such devices include, but are notlimited to, mobile telephones, mobile computers, personal dataassistants (“PDAs”), navigation systems, vehicle communication systems,and wirelessly networked computers. Any device which can communicatewith any other device by communicating, at least in part, wirelesslythrough a wireless network is contemplated as being within the scope ofthe present disclosure. Mobile device 120 may include a camera componentthat is capable of capturing and storing images. Mobile device 120 mayalso include an audio component that is capable of capturing and storingaudio data. Mobile device 120 may include other components capable ofacquiring, storing, and/or processing any form or type of data. Any suchcomponent may be integrated into the housing of mobile device 120 or maybe communicatively connected, wirelessly or by wire, to mobile device120. All such components are contemplated as within the scope of thepresent disclosure.

Mobile device 120 may be a device purchased by insured 110 for personaluse. Alternatively, mobile device 120 may be provided for insurancerelated activities. For example, an insurer, such as the operator ofinsurer claim system 170, may have provided mobile device 120 to insured110 when insured 110 obtained insured's 110 insurance policy orrequested such a device. By providing such a device, an insurer mayobtain more complete and accurate information about an accident, andreduce opportunities for fraud and/or mistakes in claim processing.

Mobile device 120 may include global positioning system (“GPS”)components and/or software, enabling it to communicate with GPSsatellites and determine its own location, speed, direction, and thecurrent time. Mobile device 120 may be constructed such that it cancommunicate GPS-derived location and direction information to atelecommunications network, other devices, and/or insured 110. Mobiledevice 120 may include other means of determining its own location,speed, and/or direction, including receiving such information from atelecommunications network, or deriving such information from the use oftechnologies well known to those skilled in the art that utilize one ormore cellular towers and analysis of signal strength, time delays,angles of arrival, or other measurements to determine a device'slocation. Such locating means include, but are not limited to,triangulation and hyperbolic fixing schemes. Such locating means may usetime delays between mobile device 120 and two or more cellular towers todetermine a relatively precise location for mobile device 120. Thevarious means and methods of locating a device using cellular networkmeasurements, including the use of time delay and/or signal strength todetermine the location, speed, and/or direction of a mobile device, arewell known to those skilled in the art, and therefore will not berecited herein. Any means of determining a mobile device's current orpast location, speed, and/or direction are contemplated as within thescope of the present disclosure.

Mobile device 120 is serviced, at least in part, by network 150. Network150 may be any network that facilitates wireless communications, mayalso include wired communication capabilities, and may communicate withother wired and wireless networks. Any and all such networks arecontemplated as within the present disclosure. Examples of such networksinclude telephony radio networks such as global system for mobilecommunication (“GSM”) networks and code division multiple access(“CDMA”) networks, wireless computer networks such as Wi-Fi and IEEE802.11 networks, and wired networks such as local area networks(“LANs”), wide area networks (“WANs”), intranets, and the Internet.Network 150 represents any possible combination of such networks,including a wireless network that may connect to the Internet andcommunicate with other devices that are connected, directly orindirectly, to the Internet. An example of such a device is server 160,which is part of automobile accident claims initiation system 170 andcapable of communicating with mobile device 120 over network 150.

Once an accident has occurred, insured 110 may wish to begin the claimsprocess. In one embodiment, insured 110 may operate mobile device 120 tocommunicate claims data to insurer claim system 170. Insurer claimsystem 170 may be one component of an automobile accident claimsinitiation system. Insurer claim system 170 may be any system thatreceives and/or processes claim data, and may be entirely automated,containing one or more computing devices such as server 160.Alternatively, insurer claim system 170 may include human operatorsinteracting with computing devices. Any system that is capable ofreceiving and/or processing insurance claim data is contemplated aswithin the scope of the present disclosure.

Mobile device 120 may have installed on it, or otherwise configuredwith, an automobile accident claims initiation application to assist inthe collection of claims data. The automobile accident claims initiationapplication may be one component of an automobile accident claimsinitiation system. Such an application may be a software program, andmay communicate, automatically or on activation by insured 110, withinsurer claim system 170. In another embodiment, such an application maybe activated by the detection of an automobile accident through anymeans known to those skilled in the art. For example, in one embodimentmobile device 120 may be in communication with devices within orattached to vehicle 130, and the application may be activated when themobile device detects an airbag activation via a communication with suchdevices. Any other means of detecting an accident or other insuranceclaim related activity or occurrence may be used to activate such anapplication, and all such means are contemplated as within the scope ofthe present disclosure.

In one embodiment, an automobile accident claims initiation applicationmay be completely contained within insurer claim system 170, and maycommunicate with mobile device 120 in order to gather claim data. In yetanother alternative, components or portions of an automobile accidentclaims initiation application may be installed on both mobile device 120and on a device or devices in insurer claim system 170. Any suchapplication that is capable of assisting in the collection of insuranceclaim data is contemplated as within the scope of the presentdisclosure. Any reference made in the present disclosure in regard tocommunication or interaction with insurer claim system 170 may includeinteracting, directly or indirectly, with an automobile accident claimsinitiation application.

In one embodiment, insured 110 may activate an automobile accidentclaims initiation application using mobile device 120. This activationmay be the results of manipulating a dedicated button or input on mobiledevice 120, or of manipulating an input which may also be used forproviding input to other applications. Such an input may be an icon,hyperlink, physical button, virtual button, or any other input which maybe displayed on or otherwise integrated into mobile device 120. Such aninput may also be a button, hyperlink, or other input displayed upon awebpage that is displayed on mobile device 120. In another embodiment,such an input may be a hyperlink, button, or other input that isdisplayed on or otherwise accessible through an email, text message,instant message, or other communication that is received, displayed,and/or available on mobile device 120. The activation may also resultfrom interaction with software on mobile device 120, such as selecting amenu item for automobile accident claims initiation applicationactivation. All such inputs, and any other effective means of inputknown to those skilled in the art, are contemplated as within the scopeof the present disclosure.

In another embodiment, insured 110 may send a request to initiate aclaim to insurer claim system 170. Such a request may be sent as atransmission from mobile device 120, such as a text message, email,application-specific communication, or any other type of electroniccommunication. Means and methods of transmitting data from one device toanother are well known to those skilled in the art and will not berecited herein. All such means and methods are contemplated as withinthe scope of the present disclosure. Such a request may be received on adevice associated with insurer claim system 170, such as server 160, orany other device capable of receiving a request for the initiation of aninsurance claim.

The request sent to insurer claim system 170 may include informationthat is preconfigured on mobile device 120. To facilitate the creationof claims in stressful situations, insured 110, the insurer, theprovider of mobile device 120, or some other capable person or system,may have configured mobile device 120 to contain information relevant toinsured 110 and/or insured 110's insurance policy. For example, mobiledevice 120 may be configured with insured 110's name, address, phonenumber, email address, policy number, insurer identificationinformation, vehicle descriptions, or any other information that may beof use in initiating an insurance claim. All such information iscontemplated as within the scope of the present disclosure.

In another embodiment, insurer claim system 170 may use one or severalpieces of information provided within the request to derive or otherwiseobtain insurance claim data. For example, the insured's 110 phone numbermay be provided in the request, and insurer claim system 170 may usethat number to obtain other relevant information about insured 110 whichinsurer claim system 170 can then use to initiate an insurance claim. Inone alternative, insurer claim system 170 may request confirmation thatinsured 110 is the subject of the claim before proceeding using meansknown to those skilled in the art. In another alternative, if mobiledevice 120 does not contain a phone number or other informationassociated with insured 110, the insurer claim system 170 may send oneor more requests to insured 110 through mobile device 120 foridentifying information about insured 110 that may be used to initiatean insurance claim. Any other pieces of information which may be used tolocate or otherwise obtain further information about insured 110, andany other means of communicating confirmation or requesting information,may be used and all such means are contemplated as within the scope ofthe present disclosure.

The request sent to insurer claim system 170 may also includeinformation that is acquired or generated by mobile device 120 which mayuseful in an insurance claim. For example, mobile device 120 maygenerate location information, such as GPS coordinates. Mobile device120 may also generate time and date information. Any information thatcan be automatically obtained and/or generated by mobile device 120 maybe included and is contemplated as within the scope of the presentdisclosure. This information may be useful to insurer claim system 170in initiating or processing a claim. It may also be helpful to insured110 to have as much information automatically provided to insurer claimsystem 170, thereby relieving some of the burden on insured 110.

Once a request to initiate a claim is received by insurer claim system170, insurer claim system 170 determines if further information isneeded or desirable. If insurer claim system 170 determines that nofurther information is needed or desired, insurer claim system 170 maycreate the claim and provide a final response to insured 110. The finalresponse may be sent to mobile device 120, and may be of any type offinal response as discussed in more detail herein. There may besituations where the request for claim initiation is the onlyinformation required by insurer claim system 170 to initiate a claim.For example, if the request includes insured's 110 name and policynumber, and no further information is needed to initiate the claim, theninsurer claim system 170 may respond with a claim number. Insurer claimsystem 170 may obtain further information later if it is desired.

In one embodiment, mobile device's 120 phone number may be associatedwith the claim number. Insurer claim system 170 may use the phone numberas detected in an incoming call to associate future calls from mobiledevice 120 with the claim, and automatically route such calls to anappropriate contact. In one embodiment, insurer claim system 170 mayrequest verification from the user of mobile device 120 when mobiledevice 120 is used to call insurer claim system 170, thereby ensuringthat the user of mobile device 120 is an authorized party. Any form ofverification known to those skilled in the art may be employed. All suchmeans of correlating information identifying mobile device 120 with aninsurance claim are contemplated as within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

Alternatively, it is contemplated that insurer claim system 170 and/orinsured 110 may wish to gather more information relating to the claimshortly after the request to initiate the claim is received at insurerclaim system 170. In one embodiment, an inquiry is sent to mobile device120 from insurer claim system 170 requesting further information aboutthe accident and/or claim request. For example, if not provided by datapreconfigured on mobile device 120, a request may be sent asking forinsured's 110 name, policy number, address, phone number, license platenumber, or any other claimant identifying information that may be usedby insurer claim system 170. Insurer claim system 170 may use any suchidentifying information to locate policy information for insured 110.

In another example, a request may be sent to mobile device 120requesting information on other cars and/or drivers involved in theaccident. Such a request may include a request for driver's 145 driver'slicense number, name, address, telephone number, license plate number,or any other driver identifying data. Alternatively, such a request mayask for vehicle's 140 license plate number, make, model, year ofmanufacture, color, or any other vehicle identifying information. In yetanother alternative, such a request may ask for other informationrelating to the accident, such as location, address, time of day,weather and/or traffic conditions, police report number, or any otheruseful information. In yet another alternative, information aboutwitnesses may be requested, such as witness names, phone numbers,addresses, and any other witness identifying information. All suchinformation, and any other information or data that may be useful ininitiating or processing an insurance claim, may be requested and iscontemplated as within the scope of the present disclosure.

It is contemplated that a request from an insurer may also be presentedas an option on mobile device 120, in one embodiment configured in anapplication, for insured 110 to provide data to insurer claim system170. For example, an application that operates as a component of anautomobile accident claims initiation system may provide options forinsured 110 to provide claim related data without further prompting.Such options may be provided by any means known to those skilled in theart, and may include menu options and actual or virtual buttons. Anymeans of providing options to insured 110 on mobile device 120, and anyoptions which may be employed to gather claim data, are contemplated aswithin the scope of the present disclosure.

In another embodiment, a request is sent to mobile device 120 frominsurer claim system 170 requesting further information about theaccident and/or claim request in the form of images. Such images may beacquired by insured 110 by operating a camera component of mobile device120. Such image may be stored on mobile device 120. For example, arequest may be made for one or more images of the accident scene, thevehicles involved, or the drivers and witnesses. In one alternative, arequest is made for an image of the license plate of one or morevehicles involved, such as vehicle 140. Such an image may be used byinsurer claim system 170 to record the license plate number of vehicle140, or to determine the ownership, registration status, make, model,and/or year of manufacture of vehicle 140. Such images may be useful ininitiating an insurance claim, and may prove helpful later indetermining fault, evaluating the cause of the accident, determining theweather and/or traffic conditions, or providing any other usefulinformation.

In yet another embodiment, a request is sent to mobile device 120 frominsurer claim system 170 for audio data. Such audio data may be acquiredby insured 110 by operating an audio component of mobile device 120, andsuch audio data may be stored on mobile device 120. For example,statements of witnesses may be requested in the form of audio data.Alternatively, statements of insured 110, or of driver 145 may berequests. Audio data of any other person or any other audio data may berequested, and all such audio data is contemplated as within the scopeof the present disclosure.

In another embodiment, statements are collected in response to textprompts provided through mobile device 120, such as text messages. Forexample, insurer claim system 170 may send a request for a statement tomobile device 120, and then may proceed to send questions to mobiledevice 120. Insured 110 may provide audio responses to these questionsusing mobile device 120, which may be directly transmitted to insurerclaim system 170, or which may be stored on mobile device 120 for latertransmission to insurer claim system 170. Any other means of queryinginsured 110 or any other party, and any means of collecting responses tosuch queries, as contemplated as within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

Any other form or type of data may be requested by insurer claim system170, and all such requests are contemplated as within the scope of thepresent disclosure.

Insured 110 may respond to the request by acquiring the responsive data.For example, insured 110 may enter text into mobile device 120, mayacquire images using a camera component of mobile device 120, mayacquire audio data by activating an audio component of mobile device120, or may take any other actions the may acquire the requested data.All such actions are contemplated as within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

Once acquired, insured 110 may send the responsive data to insurer claimsystem 170. In one embodiment, the collected data may be transmitted toinsurer claim system 170, or a component of insurer claim system 170such as server 160, from mobile device 120, over a network orcombination of networks, such as network 150. The transmission of thedata may be performed when insured 110 operates mobile device 120 suchthat the transmission is initiated. Alternatively, a data collectionapplication contained in mobile device 120 may automatically transmitdata to a remote system for analysis. Means and methods of transmittingdata from one device to another are well known to those skilled in theart and will not be recited herein. All such means and methods arecontemplated as within the scope of the present disclosure.

In one embodiment, additional data is transmitted to insurer claimsystem 170. Such additional data may include data provided by orobtained from mobile device 120 itself, such as time, date, and locationinformation as described herein. Such additional data may also includeinformation entered into, or otherwise configured on, mobile device 120relating to insured 110 as described herein, such as insured's 110 name,address, telephone number, insurance policy number, email address, orany other information associated with insured 110. This data may be usedby insurer claim system 170 in the initiation or processing of theclaim. For example, images may be analyzed in conjunction with GPScoordinates associated with the image. Such coordinates may be storedwith the image, along with a timestamp, to identify a location where theimage was acquired and the time of acquisition. Such information may beuseful for providing or acquiring further information that is time orproximity sensitive for the processing of the claim.

When a response is received at insurer claim system 170, the responsemay be analyzed. For example, insured's 110 name and address may beanalyzed to determine if insured 110 has an active policy with theoperator of insurer claim system 170. Alternatively, such analysis maybe more sophisticated. For example, an image of the license plate ofvehicle 140 may be analyzed, in one embodiment using characterrecognition software, to derive the license plate number containedthereon. The derived license plate number may be further analyzed todetermine the owner and registration status of vehicle 140. Suchanalysis may reveal whether vehicle 140 is current on inspections, isstolen, or may have other registration or licensing problems. In yetanother alternative, information about driver 145 may be analyzed todetermine if it is authentic. This may be especially useful inpreventing fraud. For example, if driver 145 provides false identityinformation, receiving the results of the analysis of such informationwhile at the scene of the accident may enable insured 110 to notify anyauthorities that may be present, such as the police. This may preventdriver 145 from leaving the scene and furthering a fraud.

Such analysis may also include taking actions which may facilitate theprocessing of the claim or assist in recovery from the accident. Forexample, after receiving accident location information, insurer claimsystem 170 may contact a tow truck company and arrange for vehicle 130to be towed. Insurer claim system 170 may also notify a repair shop toexpect vehicle 130 for repair. Alternatively, if insurer claim system170 was the first contact made by insured 110, insurer claim system 170may notify the proper authorities on behalf of insured 110, such ascalling an ambulance or the police. Insurer claim system 170 maytransmit insurance claim data to relevant authorities, such as thepolice. All other such actions are contemplated as within the scope ofthe present disclosure.

Analysis of responses and associated data may be entirely performedautomatically by one or more computers or other devices, or the analysismay be performed in whole or in part by humans. Here again, means andmethods of analyzing data are well known to those skilled in the art andwill not be recited herein. All such means and methods are contemplatedas within the scope of the present disclosure.

In an alternative embodiment, analysis of provided data is performed onmobile device 120. This may be accomplished through the use of one ormore software applications or programs installed, configured, orotherwise operable and/or accessible on mobile device 120. Analysis onmobile device 120 may also be accomplished in conjunction withcommunication by mobile device 120 with other devices. Suchcommunication may occur over a network or combination of networks suchas network 150. Any analysis of data described herein, includinganalysis described in relation to insurer claim system 170, or a remotedevice such as server 160, may be performed on mobile device 120, andall such analysis is contemplated as within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

In another embodiment, an application on mobile device 120 requests anyof the data described herein and stores the collected data on mobiledevice 120. Such data is then transmitted to insurer claim system 170all at once, rather than transmitting each response to insurer claimsystem 170 as it is received on mobile device 120.

After any analysis of a response provided by insured 110, insurer claimsystem 170 may determine whether further information is needed ordesirable. If so, then insurer claim system 170 may send another requestfor information to mobile device 120, which may be of any type or formas described herein. And again, a response may be provided to insurerclaim system 170 by insured 110 through the operation of mobile device120. This process may continue until insurer claim system 170 determinesthat no other information is required or desired to initiate or furtherprocess a claim.

If no further information is requested by insurer claim system 170,insurer claim system 170 may then provide claim information to insured110 through mobile device 120. Such claim information may include aclaim number, a telephone number that may be used to follow up on theclaim, an insurance representative's or agent's name and contactinformation, rental car agency information, repair shop information, andany other information that may be useful and may be related to theaccident or the claim resulting therefrom. All such information iscontemplated as within the scope of the present disclosure.

In one embodiment, insured 110 may operate mobile device 120 such that arequest is sent to insurer claim system 170 for human assistance. Such arequest may be detected as the selection of an option available throughan application configured on mobile device 120. Alternatively, insured110 may request human assistance through a communication from mobiledevice 120 such as a text message, email, voice call, or any other formof communication. This option may be available so that insured 110 canget assistance with issues that are not addressed by the automatedfeatures of an automobile accident claims initiation system.

Alternatively, an automobile accident claims initiation system mayinitiate a voice call to mobile device 120. Such a call may be initiatedin response to data provided by insured 110 through mobile device 120.For example, if data provided indicates that there are serious injuriesresulting from the accident, insurer claim system 170 may connectinsured 110 to a human operator to assist. Alternatively, data providedby insured 110 may indicate a particular insurance status or reflectpreferences of insured 110 for human assisted claim initiation. Any suchconditions or circumstances where a voice call may be connected duringthe operation of an automobile accident claims initiation system arecontemplated as within the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a non-limiting, exemplary method 200 of implementingthe present subject matter. At block 210 a request to initiate a claimis received by a automobile accident claims initiation system. Such arequest may be received on a mobile device and transmitted to a remotedevice, or a request may be received on an application residing on amobile device, where the application is a component of the automobileaccident claims initiation system.

At block 220, a determination is made as to whether any furtherinformation is needed or desired to initiate or process a claim. If nofurther information is needed, the method progresses to block 270. Nofurther information may be needed in circumstances where a mobile deviceand/or a automobile accident claims initiation application configured ona mobile device is preconfigured with insured data, such as the name,address, and policy number of an insured. An automobile accident claimsinitiation system may be capable of initiating a claim using only suchinformation.

If at block 220 it is determined that further information would bedesirable or required, then at block 230, an automobile accident claimsinitiation system may send a request for further information to aninsured. This may be simply presenting a message on a mobile devicerequesting information or providing instructions on how to acquireinformation. Alternatively, this may be a text message or email sent toa mobile device which requests further data. Any such request may betransmitted to a mobile device operated by an insured, or may beprovided through an application configured on such a mobile device. Anyrequest such as those described herein in regard to FIG. 1, or any otherrequest which may solicit information useful in initiating or processinga claim may be made and is contemplated as within the scope of thepresent disclosure.

At block 240, a response to the request provided at block 230 isreceived by an automobile accident claims initiation system. Such aresponse may be the entry of text or selection of an input on a mobiledevice which is detected by an application configured on the mobiledevice. Alternatively, a response may be transmitted to an automobileaccident claims initiation system from a mobile device in the form of atext message, email, or any other form of electronic communication. Theresponse may include image or audio data as described herein. Theresponse may also include data preconfigured on a mobile device asdescribed herein. Any such response, and any other form or type of aresponse that may be used in initiating or processing an insurance claimis contemplated as within the scope of the present disclosure.

At block 250, the response received at block 240 is analyzed. Suchanalysis may be of any type as described herein, including, but notlimited to, deriving a license plate number from an image of a licenseplate and determining registration, ownership, or other information fromthe license plate number. Such analysis may also include evaluating adriver's information to determine if it is legitimate. Such analysis mayalso include transcribing, via computer, machine, or by human, audiodata that has been collected at the scene of an accident. Any otheranalysis that may be of use in claim initiation or processing iscontemplated as within the scope of the present disclosure.

At block 260, a determination is made as to whether any furtherinformation may be needed or desired in relation to the initiation orprocessing of a claim. If further information may be useful, the methodreturns to block 230, and another transmission of a request forinformation is performed. If no other information is to be requested,then at block 270 claim information is provided to an insured. Suchinformation may be transmitted to a mobile device operated by theinsured. Such information may be duplicated and sent to alternativedestinations. For example, claim information may be sent via letter tothe insured's address, or sent via email to the insured's email account.Claim information may include a claim number, a statement of policycoverage, a description of the claim, information relating to repairshops and car rental agencies, copies or summaries of witnessstatements, police report numbers, or any other information that aninsurer or an insured may associate with an insurance claim. All suchinformation is contemplated as within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

Interaction between the automobile accident claims initiation system andthe insured may take any effective form. In one embodiment, claiminitiation is provided through software installed or otherwiseconfigured on a mobile device, which, through the mobile device,communicates with a automobile accident claims initiation system.Alternatively, the application on the mobile device may perform all theactivities of initiating a claim without communication with otherdevices. The interaction may occur using any means known to thoseskilled in the art, including menu driven and text-based interaction. Inanother embodiment, interaction is provided through a voice conversationheld over a voice connection between a mobile device operated by thepurchaser and a telephone operated by an operator of an automobileaccident claims initiation system. Any other means or methods ofinteraction in providing claim initiation are contemplated as within thescope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary, non-limiting automobile accident claimsinitiation system 300. Mobile device 301 may be a device operated by aninsured to request initiation of an insurance claim, collect and providedata for an insurer, and/or provide requests for information to aninsured. Mobile device 301 may perform any of the functions of a mobiledevice described in relation to FIGS. 1 and 2, or any other functioncapable of being performed on a mobile device as described herein.Mobile device 301 may communicate with network 305, which may be anynetwork or combination of networks as described herein, and mayfacilitate communication with automobile accident claims initiationsystem 300.

Using network 305, mobile device 301 may communicate with communicationssubsystem 310 of automobile accident claims initiation system 300.Communications subsystem 310 may be any component or combination ofcomponents that facilitates communication with other devices, such asmobile device 301. The communication between mobile device 301 andcommunications subsystem 310 may be of any form described herein or anyother effective form of communication. Communications subsystem 310 maycommunicate with claims initiation server 315. Claims initiation server315 may provided requests for information to communications subsystem310, which then may transmit such requests to mobile device 301.responses to such requests may then be sent from mobile device 301 tocommunications subsystem 310, which may then convey the responses toclaims initiation server 315.

Claims initiation server 315 may be any computing device or combinationof devices and/or humans capable of initiating and/or processinginsurance claims. Claims initiation server 315 may be configured tofollow a rules-based process to capture claim data from data provided bymobile device 301. For example, claims initiation server 315 may send arequest to mobile device 301 for a policy number, in one embodimentthrough communications subsystem 310. Upon receiving a response, claimsinitiation server 315 may determine the next request which may be sentto mobile device 301. In another embodiment, claims initiation server315 may analyze an image of a license plate, either directly or throughthe us of a subsystem, and determine a license plate number. Claimsinitiation server 315 may determine that the vehicle associated with thelicense plate number is stolen, and then send a communication to mobiledevice 301 with that information. Any other rules-based processing thatmay be performed in relation to insurance claims initiation andprocessing is contemplated as within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

Claims initiation server 315 may operate in cooperation with subsystemsthat perform specific tasks. In one embodiment claims initiation server315 operates with claim data analysis subsystem 320, which may analyzeclaim data as described herein. For example, claim data analysissubsystem 320 may analyze the driver's license number and name of areported driver to determine if that driver is in fact who the driver isclaiming to be. Alternatively, claim data analysis subsystem 320 mayanalyze a license plate number of a vehicle involved in an accident todetermine if the vehicle is registered properly. In yet anotherembodiment, claim data analysis subsystem 320 may receive GPScoordinates of a mobile device and determine an address, intersection,or any other useful location information based on the GPS coordinates.Such data may be used to provide an analyst with maps, includingsatellite maps showing the actual area. Any such analyzed data may thenbe associated or stored with a claim as claim data. Any other analysisis contemplated, and may be useful to the insured while the insured isat the scene of an accident.

Specific subsystems may be dedicated to specific types of data. In oneembodiment, audio analysis subsystem 330 may receive audio data andanalyze such data. For example, audio analysis subsystem 330 may receiveaudio data of witness interviews obtained with mobile device 301 at thescene of an accident and transcribe the audio data using methods andmeans known to those skilled in the art. The resulting transcriptionsmay be stored as part of a claim. Any other processing of audio data maybe performed by one or more audio analysis subsystems 330, and all suchprocessing is contemplated as within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

In another embodiment, image analysis subsystem 340 may analyze andprocess image data. For example, an image of a vehicle license plate maybe received by image analysis subsystem 340, which may utilize characterrecognition means and methods known to those skilled in the art toderive a license plate number from the image. The derived license platenumber may then be analyzed by image analysis subsystem 340,communicated to claim data analysis subsystem 320 or claims initiationserver 315 for analysis, or analyzed, processed, or stored in any othereffective way. In another exemplary embodiment, images of vehicle damagemay be received by image analysis subsystem 340, and such images may beanalyzed to determine the extent of damage or to determine an estimateof cost for repair. The results of such analysis may be stored orassociate with a claim. Any other analysis or processing of image datais contemplated as within the scope of the present disclosure. Claimdata may be stored in claim record repository 350, which may also storeother claim related data and information.

Other subsystems and repositories may be configured in automobileaccident claims initiation system 300 to process other types of data orto perform analysis of any form of data described herein. Any of thesystems, subsystems, and repositories illustrated in FIG. 3 may becomponents of a single computing system or may be individual computing,processing, or storage devices that may be communicatively connected toother devices. Any of these systems, subsystems, and repositories may beowned and/or operated by an individual, entity, business, or anycombination thereof for the purposes of initiating and/or processinginsurance claims. All such configurations and operations arecontemplated as within the scope of the present disclosure.

While example embodiments of an automobile accident claims initiationsystem have been described in connection with various computing devices,the underlying concepts may be applied to and implemented, in part orwhole, in any computing device or system capable of implementing anautomobile accident claims initiation system as disclosed herein. Thevarious techniques described herein may be implemented in connectionwith hardware or software or, where appropriate, with a combination ofboth. Thus, the systems and methods for implementing an automobileaccident claims initiation system, or certain aspects or portionsthereof, may take the form of program code (i.e., instructions) embodiedin tangible media, such as floppy diskettes, CD-ROMs, hard drives, orany other machine-readable storage medium, wherein, when the programcode is loaded into and executed by a machine, such as a computer, themachine becomes an apparatus for implementing an automobile accidentclaims initiation system. In the case of program code execution onprogrammable computers, the computing device will generally include aprocessor, a storage medium readable by the processor (includingvolatile and non-volatile memory and/or storage elements), at least oneinput device, and at least one output device. The program(s) can beimplemented in assembly or machine language, if desired. In any case,the language can be a compiled or interpreted language, and combinedwith hardware implementations.

The methods and apparatus for an automobile accident claims initiationsystem may also can be practiced via communications embodied in the formof program code that is transmitted over some transmission medium, suchas over electrical wiring or cabling, through fiber optics, or via anyother form of transmission, wherein, when the program code is receivedand loaded into and executed by a machine, such as an EPROM, a gatearray, a programmable logic device (“PLD”), a client computer, or thelike, the machine becomes an apparatus for implementing an automobileaccident claims initiation system. When implemented on a general-purposeprocessor, the program code combines with the processor to provide aunique apparatus that operates to invoke the functionality of anautomobile accident claims initiation system. Additionally, any storagetechniques used in connection with an automobile accident claimsinitiation system can invariably be a combination of hardware andsoftware.

While the embodiments have been described in connection with thepreferred embodiments of the various figures, it is to be understoodthat other similar embodiments may be used or modifications andadditions may be made to the described embodiment for performing thesame function without deviating therefrom. Therefore, the disclosedembodiments should not be limited to any single embodiment but rathershould be construed in breadth and scope in accordance with the appendedclaims.

What is claimed:
 1. A method comprising: determining, at a systemcomprising a server communicatively coupled to a network, that anaccident claims initiation application on a mobile device associatedwith a user has been activated, wherein the accident claims initiationapplication is activated based on at least one detection device on afirst vehicle communicating to the mobile device that the first vehiclehas been in an accident; establishing a network connection with themobile device based on the determination that the accident claimsinitiation application has been activated; receiving, from the mobiledevice through the network connection, image data indicative of portionof a license plate associated with a second vehicle; determining theportion of a license plate number of the license plate based on analysisof the received image data; identifying, based on the portion of thelicense plate number, a legal status of the second vehicle, the legalstatus comprising at least one of a stolen status, an inspection status,or an owner registration status; receiving, from the mobile devicethrough the network connection, an identification of a driver of thesecond vehicle; determining an authenticity of the identification of thedriver based on the identification of the driver and the portion of thelicense plate number; causing an indication of the legal status and anindication of the authenticity of the identification of the driver to berendered on the mobile device; and causing a plurality of selectableoptions to be rendered on the mobile device, the plurality of selectableoptions based at least on the portion of the license plate number andthe plurality of selectable options comprising at least one of aninitiate claim option, a contact law enforcement option, or a requestrental vehicle option.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receivedimage data is received in response to a request to collect the receivedimage data rendered on the mobile device.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein the accident claims initiation application is activated based onan activation of an airbag associated with the first vehicle.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, from the mobile devicethrough the network connection, accident image data indicative of ascene of the accident; determining a time of the accident based on atleast one of an activation time of the accident claims initiationapplication or time-stamping data associated with the accident imagedata; determining an insurance policy of the user based on identifyingdata received from the mobile device; determining a location of theaccident based on GPS information received from the mobile device andthe accident image data; and initiating a claim based on at least theinsurance policy, the location of the accident and the time of theaccident.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: confirming thatthe user requests a claim request regarding the accident based on atleast a user input at the mobile device; requesting additionalinformation from the user based on analysis of the image data; receivingadditional information from the user; and initiating a claim based on atleast the additional information, wherein the additional information isrelated to the accident.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein theadditional information comprises the identification of the driver of thesecond vehicle.
 7. The method of claim 5, wherein the additionalinformation comprises at least one of a traffic condition or a weathercondition.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification of thedriver comprises second image data indicative of a portion of a driver'slicense associated with the driver.
 9. A system comprising: a processor;and memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing instructionsthat, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to effectuateoperations comprising: determining that an accident claims initiationapplication on a mobile device associated with a user has beenactivated, wherein the accident claims initiation application isactivated based on at least one detection device on a first vehiclecommunicating to the mobile device that the first vehicle has been in anaccident; establishing a network connection with the mobile device basedon the determination that the accident claims initiation application hasbeen activated; receiving, from the mobile device through the networkconnection, image data indicative of portion of a license plateassociated with a second vehicle; determining the portion of a licenseplate number of the license plate based on analysis of the receivedimage data; identifying, based on the portion of the license platenumber, a legal status of the second vehicle, the legal statuscomprising at least one of a stolen status, an inspection status, or anowner registration status; receiving, from the mobile device through thenetwork connection, an identification of a driver of the second vehicle;determining an authenticity of the identification of the driver based onthe identification of the driver and the portion of the license platenumber; causing an indication of the legal status and an indication ofthe authenticity of the identification of the driver to be rendered onthe mobile device; and causing a plurality of selectable options to berendered on the mobile device, the plurality of selectable options basedat least on the portion of the license plate number and the plurality ofselectable options comprising at least one of an initiate claim option,a contact law enforcement option, or a request rental vehicle option.10. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise inresponse to a request to collect audio data at a claim site, receivingaudio data, the audio data indicative of an account of the accident byat least one of the user, a third-party witness, or another personinvolved in the accident.
 11. The system of claim 9, wherein theoperations further comprise, in response to an image data requestreceiving a second image data, the second image data related to a sceneof the accident.
 12. The system of claim 9, wherein the operationsfurther comprise arranging a car rental.
 13. The system of claim 9,wherein the image data is received in response to a request to collectthe image data rendered on the mobile device.
 14. The system of claim 9,wherein the accident claims initiation application is activated based onan activation of an airbag associated with the first vehicle.
 15. Thesystem of claim 9, the operations further comprising: receiving, fromthe mobile device through the network connection, accident image dataindicative of a scene of the accident; determining a time of theaccident based on at least one of an activation time of the accidentclaims initiation application or time-stamping data associated with theaccident image data; determining an insurance policy of the user basedon identifying data received from the mobile device; determining alocation of the accident based on GPS information received from themobile device and the accident image data; and initiating a claim basedon at least the insurance policy, the location of the accident and thetime of the accident.
 16. A non-transitory computer-readable mediumcomprising instructions that cause a processor executing theinstructions to effectuate operations comprising: determining that anaccident claims initiation application on a mobile device associatedwith a user has been activated, wherein the accident claims initiationapplication is activated based on at least one detection device on afirst vehicle communicating to the mobile device that the first vehiclehas been in an accident; establishing a network connection with themobile device based on the determination that the accident claimsinitiation application has been activated; receiving, from the mobiledevice through the network connection, image data indicative of portionof a license plate associated with a second vehicle; determining theportion of a license plate number of the license plate based on analysisof the received image data; identifying, based on the portion of thelicense plate number, a legal status of the second vehicle, the legalstatus comprising at least one of a stolen status, an inspection status,or an owner registration status; receiving, from the mobile devicethrough the network connection, an identification of a driver of thesecond vehicle; determining an authenticity of the identification of thedriver based on the identification of the driver and the portion of thelicense plate number; causing an indication of the legal status and anindication of the authenticity of the identification of the driver to berendered on the mobile device; and causing a plurality of selectableoptions to be rendered on the mobile device, the plurality of selectableoptions based at least on the portion of the license plate number andthe plurality of selectable options comprising at least one of aninitiate claim option, a contact law enforcement option, or a requestrental vehicle option.
 17. The non-transitory computer-readable mediumof claim 16, the operations further comprising receiving, from themobile device, audio data, wherein the audio data is indicative of anaccount of the accident from at least one of the user, another personinvolved in the accident, and a third-party witness.
 18. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein theaccident claims initiation application is activated based on anactivation of an airbag associated with the first vehicle.
 19. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, the operationsfurther comprising: confirming that the user requests a claim requestregarding the accident based on at least a user input at the mobiledevice; requesting additional information from the user based onanalysis of the image data; receiving additional information from theuser; and initiating a claim based on at least the additionalinformation, wherein the additional information is related to theaccident.
 20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16,the operations further comprising confirming that the user has requesteda claim based on the accident.
 21. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 16, the operations further comprising requesting, fromthe mobile device, identifying information of the user.